The growth of the Internet has challenged the vitality and significance of television as a medium for advertising. The Internet provides content that attracts viewers, and at the same time provides a data processing platform that allows the viewer to instantly select content and agree to purchases. Consequently, a consumer watching content over the Internet can be presented with an advertisement carrying an interactive link that the user can select like any other web link. Based on that selection, the consumer can buy a product or at least request additional information about the product from the retailer. Many advertisers see this as a better platform. With the Internet, an advertiser can simultaneously present both an ad and a mechanism to purchase the product, reaching the consumer while the advertisement is their mind.
Consequently, the future of the television platform as an advertising medium will depend upon joining the television platform to the Internet platform. Many companies and groups are working on this issue and are developing technologies that allow for two way communications, including two-way communications over the cable-TV network. Cable Labs, Comcast and others are developing systems that will act as gateways between the cable TV network and the Internet.
Although these technologies may be successful at extending the communication structure of the Internet to the cable TV network, these technologies merely increase the bi-directional communication capabilities of the cable TV platform. However, it is unclear that merely adding improved communication technology will allow the television platform to compete successfully against Internet advertising systems. These systems will link the TV platform to the Internet, but by doing this they merely allow Internet-like advertising, such as linkable content, to be carried over the cable-TV platform. In essence, the proposed systems merely extend low quality Internet banner ads and pop-up ads to the TV viewing experience. Thus these proposed solutions fail to address the existing technologies and platforms for developing and distributing advertising content over the television network. Further, these technologies exist only in the cable television environment while advertisers desire a solution that operates in all television distribution environments. Television advertising is fundamentally different from Internet advertising which is based on targeted banner ads. Television advertising today, and for the foreseeable future, involves advertising agencies that develop high quality television content designed to engage the consumer. Significant time and expense is invested to create quality content that showcases and establishes a brand identity as well as the product.
For television systems to compete against the Internet, technology needs to be developed that extends the interactivity of the Internet to the TV medium, in a manner that fits with the existing structure of television advertising.
As such there remains a need for a system that provides an improved platform for allowing advertisers to interact with consumers through the medium of television.